Pilot
"Pilot" is the 1st episode of How to Get Away with Murder. Summary Annalise Keating is a tough as nails Criminal Law Professor and when Wes Gibbins starts his first day at Middleton University, he has no clue what he's walking into. In her class, Annalise challenges her students to solve some of the most difficult criminal cases that her law firm takes on, and in the end, she selects a group of the smartest, most promising students to come work for her. The competition is on and the students will stop at nothing to make sure they get to the head of her class. While Annalise seems to have it all together, we soon learn that her clients' secrets aren't the only ones she's keeping. Meanwhile, in flash-forwards, we learn that the price of impressing Annalise might just be too much for some, when a group of four students, Wes, Connor Walsh, Michaela Pratt and Laurel Castillo get involved in their own murder mystery cover up. Plot 'Teaser' It's a Bonfire Celebration night for the football team at Middleton University. We see a large group of students gathered around a large pile of woods, celebrating wild and drunk. As the students dance and drink, the football coach wells encouraging words at them. Soon enough two of the football players light the bonfire, sending the drunken students wild. Meanwhile, deep in the nearby woods, a boy, Wes Gibbins is seen running under a bridge towards three other young adults, who are clearly panicked and scared as they argue over a murder they have just committed. Wes reaches the group and apologises for taking so long, explaining that he went back for something. He pulls out a blood covered golden statue, startling one of the girls, Michaela Pratt, who demands he take it back immediately. Another girl, Laurel Castillo, disagrees with taking it back, stating the murder weapon shouldn't be found. Connor Walsh, the final student, asks what she means, so she tells him they should clean it and take it back, hiding it in plain sight...but after they bury the body. Michaela immediately disagrees with this and so does Connor, who insists the body stay where it is. Laurel explains that the body is what will get them caught, causing Michaela to tell her she's not thinking straight. Laurel asks what they should do instead, but Michaela tells her something that won't involve them carrying a body across campus on the busiest night of the year. Connor goes on to explain that even if they get the body into the woods, the ground is frozen, however Laurel simply tells him they have all night to dig. A distressed Connor yells that she doesn't know what she's talking about, leading her to yell that it's murder and none of them have any idea what they're talking about. Michaela sarcastically comments for her to yell that louder, causing an argument among the three. Wes finally interrupts them, demanding they all shut up. He explains that it's two against two so the only way they can decide is to flip a coin. Connor angrily states that he won't let a coin decide whether or not he goes to jail, but Wes explains that they don't have time to fight and they need to make a decision and commit to it. He asks if anyone has a better idea, but nobody responds. He then takes out a coin and explains that if it lands on heads they get the body and if its tails they leave it. He checks with the group one more time, their silence is a yes to him, so he goes ahead and flips the coin into the air. 3 Months Earlier We see Wes Gibbins, the same guy from the woods, causally riding his bike through the grounds of Middleton University, ready for his first day of law school. When he arrives at his destination, he locks his bike up and heads inside, walking past numerous missing posters for a student named Lila Stangard. He eventually enters his lecture hall and makes his way down the stairs to the front of the class, heading past numerous students, inculding a boy named Asher Millstone. He sits himself at the front of the class next to a girl, Michaela Pratt who is focused reading a book, and he excitedly tells her "here we go". He explains to the girl that he promised himself not to hide at the back of the class so he's sitting at the front, but without looking at him, she raises her finger showing a ring, telling him she's engaged. He awkwardly tries to explain that he wasn't hitting on her, but she simply tells him that seats are assigned and points him towards the chart. As he goes to check his seat, Connor Walsh tells him "nice try player", assuming he was hitting on Michaela too, but Wes once again defends himself. Connor then warns Wes to find his seat quickly as he doesn't want to be a sitting duck when the "shooter" arrives, referring to the lecturer. A confused Wes makes his way to his seat, leading Connor to tell him he has no idea what he's got himself into. With that, the lecturer enters the room, greeting all of her new students a good morning. As she heads to her desk, she tells the students that she's not sure what bad things they've done in their lives...but their karma must be out of balance for them to be assigned to her class. She introduces herself as Professor Annalise Keating and welcomes them to Criminal Law 101. "Or as I prefer to call it" she says as she begins to write something on a chalkboard, "How to get away with murder" she finishes, turning and revealing she wrote just that on the board. HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER 'Act I' Professor Annalise Keating stands before her students, shortly after her introduction, as she explains that unlike her colleagues she'll be teaching the students how to practice the law in a court room. She goes straight onto their first case study, "The Aspirin Assassin", and asks Connor Walsh for the facts. Connor confidently stands up and explains that Gina Sadowski was charged with attempted murder, explaining that she worked as the assistant to Arthur Kaufman. He then adds that Gina was also Athur's mistress. Annalise moves on from Connor and asks Asher Millstone what happened when Agnes Kaufman, Arthur's wife, found out about the affair. Asher explains that Arthur ended his affair with Gina and demoted her, which is supposedly when she switched his blood pressure pills with aspirin, which he's allergic to. Annalise then asks the class what happened when Arthur ingested the aspirin. Numerous students raise their hands, but Michaela Pratt stands up without prompt and explains that Arthur went into anaphylactic shock which caused his throat to swell, depriving his brain of oxygen for seven minutes before his first assistant was able to resuscitate him. She states her name before sitting down, attracting a challenging look from Connor. Annalise explains that they've established the Actus Reus before asking Wes Gibbins what the Mens Rea was. Wes nervously stands up and awkwardly begins to think what Mens Rea is. He looks through his notes, leading Annalise to point out that it's day one and he's unprepared. He says he didn't know that was anything to prepare for, but Annalise tells him she sent an email on the assignment two days ago, he insists he didn't get it. A stern Annalise makes her way up the stairs towards Wes and tells him as a defence attorney she spends most of her time around professional liars so he'll have to work really hard to fool her. Wes sighs and admits that he was only accepted two days ago from the wait list. This causes the class to silently snigger. Annalise decides to help Wes out and explains what Actus Reus and Mens Rea are before asking him what Gina's Mens Rea was, stating its nothing more than common sense. Wes just stands silently, unsure how to answer, so a girl in the class answers for him, "To kill". A frustrated Annalise asks the person who just spoke to stand and repeat the answer. Laurel Castillo stands up and explains that the Mens Rea, also known as intent, was to kill Arthur. After learning Laurel's name, Annalise tells her to never take a learning opportunity from another student, no matter how smart she needs people to think she is. She makes her way to the front of the class and asks if there are any questions before they move on. Connor raises his hand and explains that the verdict wasn't stated in the email so he asks, "Did she do it?". Annalise tells him to ask her herself, confessing that she lied and the case is one she picked up last week. A short while later, at Annalise's office, all of the students in her class have gathered around, waiting with their notebooks as Bonnie Winterbottom, Annalise's colleague, escorts Gina Sadowski, the woman charged with attempted murder, into the building. After sitting down on a chair, Gina begins to tell her story of what happened. She starts by explaining one day she walked into Arthur Kaufman's office and she screamed because he was standing behind the door, causing them both to laugh. She then adds that that's when he kissed her for the first time, making her "that girl". Among the group, Asher snidely comments to Laurel that he thinks she's always been that girl. Laurel shoots him down with a dirty glare, causing him to turn away uncomfortably. She goes on to explain that when she came back one day to see paramedics she was distraught. She tries her best to fight back tears as she tells the students she loved him and questions why in the hell she'd want to hurt him. A while later, after Gina has left the office and Annalise is left standing in front of the class. She explains that the trial is in two days so tomorrow each of them have one minute to present the best defence for the case and see if they can beat her own current plan. She walks up to Wes and tells him that he'll go last, pointing out to everyone that no two students can present the same idea. She urges them to use the resources in the office, Gina's discovery file, the library of the people who know her better than herself...her associates. A man dressed in a smart suit steps out in front of the class, introducing himself as Frank. He tells the students that unlike the other teachers they've had, he does believe in stupid questions...so if they have any then they should talk to his colleague Bonnie. With that, a pretty blonde woman stands up, explaining that it'd be better if they came to them with answers because they'd like them much better that way. Annalise then adds that every year she chooses four students to come and work for her and this assignment helps her decide who it'll be. She pick up a golden statue, the same murder weapon from three months later, and explains that the top student will get it as an "immunity idol" which they can turn it at any point to get out of an exam. She then tells the students to go and find the defence that will free their client. With that, the students all hurry out. Later that night, across town in a cheap apartment complex, Wes Gibbins sits in his room on the floor going through all of the facts of the case, trying to come up with a good defence for it. After much frustrated thinking, all Wes can think of is that Gina Sadowski is guilty. With that, loud techno music starts blasting out from the room next to him, making him grunt with stress. He goes to bang on his neighbours door and is shocked to see an pretty emo girl, Rebecca Sutter, answer the door. After a nervous stutter he introduces himself as Wes, explaining he moved in next door. She asks what he wants, so he explains that it was his first day of law school and her music is really loud. However, before he can finish she bluntly states, "no", confusing Wes. The girl explains that the person who lived in the apartment before him was a law student and she had to put up with his "crazy lab rabbit sex" and nervous breakdown, insiting Wes can deal with the music. She then slams the door in his face and the music stays the same volume. Wes makes his way back to his room and flops onto his bed, but something soon catches his eye. He examines strange markings in the wall is and confused to see weird scratch marks that look pretty violent. Back on the night of the murder, three months later, the students are back at Annalise's office, the scene of the murder. Wes and Connor are wrapping the body up in a rug as Michaela stands facing away, arms crossed, refusing to help. Connor calls out for Michaela, but she snaps that she didn't agree to this so she doesn't want to see anything, so if she's asked to testify then she can say just that. Connor explains that he just wants her to move her feet. She does so and the boys continue wrapping the body. Laurel then enters the room, carrying a now clean murder weapon. She explains that she washed the sink down with bleach after cleaning it. Connor, Wes and Laurel tidy up the murder scene quickly, finally finishing up and placing the murder weapon back where it belongs. The three then attempt to lift up the body, but they're unable too as its too heavy. They turn their heads to Michaela, asking for help, and she reluctantly agrees. Although heavy, the four are now able to carry the body and with a bit of a struggle they make it through the office to the front door. They open the door and make their way outside with the body wrapped in a carpet. However, once they step outside, they're met by a cop who asks if a car is one of theirs. They all look at him with horror and slowly drop the body to the floor. They all make their way out of the office as the officer approaches them. 'Act II' 'Act III' 'Act IV' 'Act V' 'Act VI' Gallery This is a gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode. Promo 101 01.png Promo 101 02.png Promo 101 03.png Promo 101 04.png Promo 101 05.png Promo 101 06.png Promo 101 07.png Promo 101 08.png Promo 101 09.png Promo 101 10.png Promo 101 11.png Promo 101 12.png Promo 101 13.png Category:Season 1 Category:Episodes